Patriots hold on to beat Eagles in low-scoring Super Bowl rematch

The New England Patriots got just enough mojo out of their offense to top the Philadelphia Eagles on the road in a defensive battle.

Perhaps it was fitting that the only major scoring the New England Patriots were able to accomplish against a tough Philadelphia Eagles defense on Sunday came via a trick play. After all, it was these same Eagles who famously ran the “Philly Special” trick play in their Super Bowl LII victory over these same Patriots two seasons ago.

On 3rd-and-11 from the Philadelphia 15-yard-line early in the third quarter, Julian Edelman motioned out wide and caught a backwards pass from Tom Brady, then lofted the ball on a nice arcing throw to a wide-open Phillip Dorsett in the end zone. James White ran the ball in for the ensuing two-point conversion, and the Patriots would take their first lead of the game at 17-10.

No one knew it at the time, but those eight points would be the last points scored in the contest.

New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has shown a proclivity in the past for busting out unique play designs when his side of the ball is struggling against quality competition. Such was the case against the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the playoffs a few years ago, when McDaniels dialed up a pass from Edelman to Danny Amendola for a touchdown.

The Patriots also ran a trick play four years ago when the Eagles came to Gillette Stadium during the regular season. New England lost that game, but Brady notably caught a successful pass from Amendola when the Pats were struggling to move the ball after finding themselves down 28-14 to Philadelphia.

Of course, Eagles fans will be quick to point out that Brady even more notably failed to catch a pass that came his way during New England’s loss to Philly in Super Bowl LII. The trick play worked to perfection until the ball bounced off Brady’s outstretched fingertips and fell harmlessly to the ground.

Outside of the latest round of trickery between these two inter-conference rivals, there wasn’t a whole lot of scoring on a dark and windy night at “The Linc.” Eagles QB Carson Wentz hit tight end Dallas Goedert for a five-yard touchdown in the second quarter that initially looked like a Jonathan Jones interception in the end zone. The play was originally ruled a pick and a touchback for the Patriots, but upon further review, Goedert was ruled to have completed the catch and the score.

The Eagles also got a field goal on their opening drive to start the game, but that was it as far as scoring. The Patriots also struggled on offense for most of the evening, converting three Nick Folk field goals of 35, 22, and 39 yards for their only points of the game until the Edelman touchdown to Dorsett.

Both teams seemed well-matched from about the second quarter on. The Patriots once again allowed themselves to fall behind quickly on the road to a playoff-caliber opponent; two weeks ago they went down by 17 points before finally starting to battle back against the Baltimore Ravens in Maryland. Their attempt to come back in that game ultimately fell short, but thankfully, it was a different story Sunday in Pennsylvania.

Thanks to their 17-10 win over the Eagles, the Patriots remain two games above the Bills in the AFC East. They’re also one game ahead of the Ravens in the race for the top seed in the conference and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. New England now draws the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday in what will be their first home game played since before Halloween (October 27 against the Browns).

The Eagles fall to 5-5 on the season, and thanks to the Cowboys’ victory earlier Sunday against the Lions, now sit in second place in the NFC East. Philadelphia also lost their starting right tackle Lane Johnson during the game, while New England saw Phillip Dorsett exit not long after his touchdown reception with a possible concussion.